Model and Methods for Identifying Points of Action in Electrically Active Cells

ABSTRACT

The invention provides a model for generating predicted action potentials of an electrically active cell. The disclosed model includes three operatively coupled submodels. A first submodel contains Hodgkin-Huxley elements generating action potentials based on electrical equivalent circuits. A second submodel is based on reaction kinetics of cell metabolism and is operatively coupled with the first submodel. A third submodel is based on Boolean dynamics representing signaling and associated cellular processes and is operatively coupled with the first and second submodels. The invention includes storing a library of calculated action potentials and associated cellular parameters generated by the model, applying a stimulus to the electrically active cell in vitro so that the cell generates an action potential; and comparing the cell-generated action potential with those stored in the library, wherein a match is predictive of the cellular point of action of the applied stimulus according to the parameters stored.

RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority to provisional patent application Ser. No. 61/301,669 filed on Feb. 5, 2010, which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

STATEMENT OF GOVERNMENT INTEREST

This invention was made with at least partial support from the U.S. government. Accordingly, the government has certain rights in the invention.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to the field of cell modeling, and, more particularly, to a model and methods for identifying a point of action of a substance in an electrically active cell.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A primary challenge common to both, toxicology and drug development, is the accurate in vitro determination of targets for a toxin or drug. Numerous methods have been developed to quantify the physiological change induced by toxins/drugs in whole cell sensing devices [1, 2]. One of the techniques frequently used for monitoring the state and activity of excitable cells is the recording of action potentials (APs) [3, 4]. The shape of a given AP contains a significant amount of information, as it is dependent on the concerted action of ion channels located in cellular membranes. Ion currents through ion channels are tightly regulated by receptors and the intracellular messenger systems [5, 6], calcium [7], sodium [8], and potassium [9]. Channel modulators as well as a multitude of toxins and pathological conditions [10, 119 are known to significantly affect the shape of APs. The myriad of complexities and challenges faced in the determination of sites of action for toxins and potential lead compounds are well known as well [12, 13]. However, whole-cell models capable of using the shape of APs in order to accurately determine points of action for a particular toxin are currently lacking. Therefore, there is a clear need for a whole-cell modeling framework that functionally links AP generation via ion channels with all other cellular processes (metabolism, signaling, transcription, translation, etc.).

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention discloses a model for generating predicted action potentials of an electrically active cell, for example, a mammalian neuronal cell. The model comprises a first submodel containing Hodgkin-Huxley elements generating action potentials based on electrical equivalent circuits. A second submodel is based on reaction kinetics of mammalian cell metabolism and is operatively coupled with the first submodel. A third submodel is based on Boolean dynamics representing signaling and associated cellular processes and is operatively coupled with the first and second submodels.

In an embodiment of the invention, the model as described above is capable of reacting to stimuli which are internal or external to the cell. Those skilled in the art will recognize that the stimulus may include any compound or composition that triggers the cell to generate an electrical response. Accordingly, an electrical stimulus is included in the term “stimulus.” Additionally, exposure to electromagnetic radiation, for example, light waves, would also induce the cell to generate an electrical response in some cases. All of these are included in the term “stimulus.” Preferably, the first, second and third submodels are computer implemented. The first submodel quantifies changes in intracellular processes based on physiological changes in the cell responsive to input received from the second and third submodels. The second submodel comprises a plurality of modeled physiological compartments, each having an associated compartment volume. The modeled physiological compartments comprise whole cell volume, mitochondrial volume, endoplasmic reticulum volume, nuclear volume and extracellular volume. Preferably, the mitochondrial volume, endoplasmic reticulum volume and nuclear volume are nested in the whole cell volume. Also preferably, the third submodel further comprises network topology and dynamic state for each pathway node to thereby assign relative importance to a pathway node with respect to overall response of a biological network. More specifically, the third submodel may further comprise Glass dynamics providing a continuous time course simulation.

Additionally, the disclosed model may be used to generate a library of simulation results comprising model parameters of the mammalian neuronal cell. The library of simulation results provides for the parameters to be stored in a structured query language database programmed in a computer. The results stored comprise a plurality of parameters selected from simulated action potentials, Boolean model data of simulated cell signaling cascades, scaling factors of cell metabolic processes, ion and ATP concentrations, data for ion channels included in the Hodgkin-Huxley calculations, and combinations thereof.

The model disclosed may be used to predict mammalian neuronal cell response to an applied stimulus. In particular, the disclosed model provides a method of identifying a point of action of a stimulus applied to a mammalian neuronal cell. It should be understood that the stimulus may be external, for example, as when a compound or composition is applied to a cell, e.g. an antibiotic, a toxin, an unknown compound. The stimulus could also be internal, for example, when a gene is activated. The method of this embodiment of the invention comprises storing a library of calculated action potentials and associated cellular parameters generated by a model having a first submodel based on Hodgkin-Huxley calculations, a second submodel operably linked thereto and based on reaction kinetics of neuronal cell metabolism and a third submodel operably linked to the first and second submodels and based on Boolean dynamics representing signaling and associated cellular processes. The method continues by applying the stimulus to the mammalian neuronal cell in vitro so that the cell generates an action potential; and then comparing the cell-generated action potential with the calculated action potentials stored in the library, wherein a match is predictive of the cellular point of action of the applied stimulus according to the parameters stored for the matching calculated action potential. In the method, the stimulus may comprise a drug or a toxin.

These and other objects, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will be better appreciated in view of the drawings and the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram for the identification of toxin action using a whole cell modeling platform.

FIG. 2 is a screenshot of a metabolic model in Matlab®'s SimBiology® including compartments for mitochondria, endoplasmatic reticulum, lysosomes, golgi apparatus and the nucleus.

FIG. 3 is a Glycolysis model [33] used in the development of a whole cell model. The glycolysis model consists of thirty reactions, involving 29 reactants.

FIG. 4 is a model of mitochondrial metabolism [34] used in the development of a neuronal whole cell model.

FIG. 5 illustrates the interaction of the chemical kinetics and Boolean dynamics within the whole cell model.

FIG. 6 is the conversion of a logical rule into an ordered binary decision diagram.

FIG. 7 shows Hodgkin-Huxley simulations that illustrate sensitivity of extracellular waveforms to changes in membrane time constants. The largest peak is from a simulation in which the potassium channel time constant was lengthened by a factor of five (note the longer after potential). The smallest of the peaks results from increasing the sodium time constant by a factor of two. The remaining peak is the normal ‘textbook’ Hodgkin-Huxley simulation.

FIG. 8 is an estimation of ion channel parameters from voltage- and current-clamp experiments. FIG. 8A: Phase-contrast image of NG108-15 cell with a patch-clamp electrode attached (Scale bar=25 □m). FIG. 8B: Sodium currents recorded at different membrane potentials in voltage-clamp mode (solid line) and the results of the parameter fitting using the Hodgkin-Huxley model and the linear thermodynamic formalism (dotted line). FIG. 8C: Potassium currents (solid line) and the fitted curves using the model (dotted line). FIG. 8D, E, F, G: Effect of toxins on the action potentials of NG108-15 cells. The solid line is data recorded in current clamp experiments. The dotted line is the results of the simulation using the mathematical model of the NG108-15 cells after parameter fitting. Ion channel parameters were estimated based on action potential shapes.

FIG. 9 is changes in the intracellular concentrations of Ca (FIG. 9A) and ATP (FIG. 9B) result in various AP shapes (FIG. 9C).

FIG. 10 shows results from experiments performed for the calibration of the metabolic model.

FIG. 11 is (FIG. 11A) Dependence of the mitochondrial model on the concentration of AcCoA, and (FIG. 11B) cytosolic calcium.

FIG. 12 is data indicating that increased ATP consumption causes the cell to (FIG. 12A) favor lactate dehydrogenase flux over pyruvate dehydrogenase flux. (FIG. 12B) NADH/NAD ratio (red) and ATP/ADP ratio (blue) in the cytosol (circle) and mitochondria (square) in response to increased ATP consumption.

FIG. 13 is an Illustration of PLC conversion of PIP2 to IP3 and DAG. IP3 binds the IP3R calcium channel on the endoplasmic reticulum, through which endoplasmic reticulum calcium is released into the cytosol [62].

FIG. 14 is a schematic illustration of the database generation: Ranges of variable parameters (e.g. intracellular Na⁺, K⁺, Ca²⁺, but also source of carbon, energy levels [ATP] or [NADH], and so forth) were used to run the whole cell model. The resulting ion concentrations were used as inputs for the HH model to generated action potentials. The action potential shape was saved in the AP-DB along with all parameters that were set to generate it. Subsequently, a new set of parameters was used to run the hybrid whole-cell model again. (The AP-DB needs to be regenerated whenever the whole cell or the HH model are changed.)

FIG. 15 is a schematic for AP database application in the quest for target-points of drugs or toxins: Measured action potentials are scanned for meaningful values, which are then compared with the meaningful values of previously generated action potentials in the AP-DB. The AP-DB also contains the model parameters that created the specific action-potential shape. Changes, in these parameters for continuously measured action potentials indicate the influence of unknown conditions and can also be verified by known conditions.

FIG. 16 shows results for APs recorded from an NG108-15 cell treated with cyanide.

FIG. 17 is a schematic of relevant processes associated with exemplary compounds.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

In the Summary of the Invention above and in the Detailed Description of the Invention and in the accompanying drawings, reference is made to particular features (including method steps) of the invention. It is to be understood that the disclosure of the invention in this specification includes all possible combinations of such particular features. For example, where a particular feature is disclosed in the context of a particular aspect or embodiment of the invention, that feature can also be used, to the extent possible, in combination with and/or in the context of other particular aspects and embodiments of the invention, and in the invention generally.

The term “comprises” is used herein to mean that other ingredients, ingredients, steps, etc. are optionally present. When reference is made herein to a method comprising two or more defined steps, the steps can be carried in any order or simultaneously (except where the context excludes that possibility), and the method can include one or more steps which are carried out before any of the defined steps, between two of the defined steps, or after all of the defined steps (except where the context excludes that possibility).

In this section, the present invention will be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which preferred embodiments of the invention are shown. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout, and prime notation is used to indicate similar elements in alternative embodiments.

An aspect of an embodiment of the invention is to provide a model of an entire mammalian neuronal cell that is capable of reacting to both internal and external stimuli. The hybrid whole-cell model is the combination of three submodels that communicate via messengers (FIG. 1):

-   -   (1) A model for the generation of action potentials (APs) that         is based on electrical equivalent circuits, containing         Hodgkin-Huxley (HH) elements     -   (2) A detailed model to address mammalian cell metabolism that         is based on reaction kinetics     -   (3) A model for signaling and other cellular processes using         Boolean dynamics

How these three models connect and interact with each other to form the hybrid whole-cell model is unique to this invention. The final product of this invention is a database containing simulation results from the hybrid model in the form of AP shapes and their corresponding model parameters. The shape of APs recorded from neuronal cells, in the presence or absence of drugs, toxins or combinations thereof, can be compared automatically to simulated AP shapes stored in the database. The model parameters saved in the database along with AP shapes describe internal states of the cell under investigation. Parametric changes over time indicate a drug or toxins point(s) of action inside the cell. As the hybrid whole-cell model becomes more complex, the produced database will contain more detailed information about the possible internal or external stimuli and thus represent an invaluable tool for drug discovery, systems biology and functional genomics research.

Hodgkin-Huxley Based Model for Action Potentials

Ion channels are regulated by all common intracellular mechanisms including phosphorylation and second messenger dependent systems [15], with intracellular ions playing an equally significant role of second messengers in cells [16]. Electrical activity is highly dependent on the state/physiology/pathophysiology of the cells [17]. Action potential shape is determined by intracellular ionic concentrations, ATP, calcium, cAMP and other second messenger dependent channels and pumps [18-20].

In the presented hybrid whole-cell model, APs are generated by a Hodgkin-Huxley (HH) submodel. In 1952 the scientists Hodgkin and Huxley published an electrical equivalent circuit, composed of resistors and capacitances, in order to reproduce the shape of APs recorded from squid neurons. The original HH model did not couple intracellular processes to electrophysiological parameters and action potential generation was considered as an ‘all-or-none’ process, without significant variability. This view is in contrast with findings concerning participation of ion channels in intracellular signaling and metabolic pathways [15]. Realistic, experimentally validated cell models have already been developed and couple electrophysiological properties of the cell membrane to complex intracellular pathways [22, 23]. These models are routinely used to predict/explain physiological changes caused by intracellular mechanisms (gene expression changes, activation of second messenger systems, phosphorylation, etc.) [24]. In this invention we couple the HH-model to other models which are containing all relevant cellular processes (metabolism, signaling, etc.) in order to enable quantification of changes in intracellular processes based on physiological changes in the behavior of the cells.

The HH-model of this invention is implemented as a program in the scientific computation environment Matlab® (The Mathworks, Inc.), and calculates a time-dependent potential across the cell membrane by the following equation:

$\begin{matrix} {\frac{V}{t} = \frac{I_{external} - I_{ionic}}{C_{M}}} & \left( {{Eq}.\mspace{14mu} 1} \right) \end{matrix}$

with the potential V across the cell membrane, the time t, the sum of artificially induced currents I_(external), the sum of membrane currents I_(ionic) and the capacitance C_(M) of the cell membrane. The HH-model is capable (but not limited) to compute voltage-gated sodium (Na), potassium (K) and calcium (Ca) as well as general leak (I) currents. A detailed description of the model and its calibration can be found in [21].

In addition to the published model, this invention links a part of the K-currents with the cytosolic concentration of adenosine triphosphate (ATP). ATP is known to be a ubiquitous source of energy in the cell and therefore important for interactions between the submodels. The formulations for individual ion currents composing an AP are summands of:

$\begin{matrix} \begin{matrix} {I_{ionic} = {I_{Na} + I_{K} + I_{Ca} + I_{l}}} \\ {{= {{g_{Na}m^{3}{h\left( {V - V_{Na}} \right)}} + {\left( {{g_{K}n^{4}} + {g_{K_{ATP}}z}} \right)\left( {V - V_{K}} \right)} +}}\;} \\ {{{g_{Ca}{e^{3}\left( {V - V_{Ca}} \right)}} + {g_{l}\left( {V - V_{l}} \right)}}} \end{matrix} & \left( {{Eq}.\mspace{14mu} 2} \right) \end{matrix}$

with the maximal conductance for an ion species g_(<ion>), the reverse potential V_(<ion>) of an ion species as well as the state parameters m, h, n and e to describe a channel population's probability to be open or closed (details in [21]). The potassium currents are a combination of currents through two separate ion channels. Potassium currents are partially governed by g_(k)n⁴ and thus purely voltage-gated, whereas g_(KATP) z describes an additional influence due to the intracellular concentration of ATP. The factor z, scaling a significant portion of potassium currents, is calculated to

$\begin{matrix} {\frac{1}{z} = \left( {1 + \frac{\lbrack{ATP}\rbrack}{k_{z}}} \right)^{\gamma}} & \left( {{Eq}.\mspace{14mu} 3} \right) \end{matrix}$

with k_(z)=0.06 and γ=1.3. When the HH-model is executed, the intracellular ion and ATP concentrations are determined by the other models (Boolean & Metabolic).

Modeling of Reaction Kinetics for Simulations of Cell Metabolism

The model of an NG108-15 was implemented in the commercially available tool box SimBiology® for the scientific programming environment Matlab® (both from The Mathworks, Inc.). However, in order to capture the experimental environment, the models were implemented with physiological compartments, including physiological compartment volumes. The cellular volume of the NG108-15 hybrid cell was calculated to be ˜4.7712938E-8 ml using the equation for the volume of a sphere. The radius used, 22.5 μm, is within the experimentally observed range published by the American Type Culture Collection (ATCC). The mitochondrial volume was calculated to be ˜1.0471975E-12 ml using the equation for the volume of an ellipsoid, with a length of 2 μm, width of 1 μm and depth of 1 μm. The mitochondrial volume was multiplied by 400, an estimated number of mitochondria in an NG108-15 hybrid cell, and implemented as total mitochondrial volume. The volumes of the endoplasmic reticulum and the nucleus were approximated at 10% of the cellular volume, or ˜4.7712938E-9 ml. Presuming a total simulation volume of 1 ml, the extracellular volume was calculated to be ˜0.9940835 ml. The compartments were implemented in SimBiology® as nested (FIG. 2), whereby the nuclear, endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondrial volumes were nested in the cellular volume and the cellular volume was nested in the extracellular volume. In addition, the compartments were implemented as volumetric ratios, in order to address issues regarding solver tolerances (solver: Solaris). Hence, the volumetric ratios were calculated to be 2.0834675E7 (extracellular), 1.0 (cellular), 8.779149E-3 (mitochondrial), 0.1 (endoplasmic reticulum) and 0.1 (nuclear).

The compartmentalized metabolic model of an NG108-15 response to ATP load couples the metabolic models originally proposed by Lambeth (glycolysis) [33] and Cortassa (mitochondria) [34]. The glycolysis model (FIG. 3) converts glycogen to lactate through a series of fourteen reactions involving 21 species. The model contains fully reversible kinetic equations for each enzymatic reaction, along with phosphate buffering via creatine kinase. The pyruvate generated by the glycolytic pathway is then either converted to lactate by means of lactate dehydrogenase or to acetyl coenzyme A (AcCoA), for use in the TCA cycle, by means of pyruvate dehydrogenase. The detailed mitochondrial model (FIG. 4) consisting of 27 chemical species and 22 reactions, including the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle, oxidative phosphorylation and mitochondrial transport processes, was also constructed [34]. The TCA cycle completes the oxidation of AcCoA to CO₂ producing NADH and FADH₂, which provides the driving force for oxidative phosphorylation. When AcCoA concentrations are low, the TCA cycle is driven primarily by consumption of glutamate, while high, the carbon flux through the TCA cycle can be regulated by the production of glutamate. TCA cycle dehydrogenases are regulated by mitochondrial Ca²⁺ concentration, and in this way, the rate of Ca²⁺ uptake by mitochondria is involved in membrane polarization through the TCA cycle and oxidative phosphorylation. The model includes both the explicit electrical gradient (ΔΨ_(m)) and proton gradient (ΔpH) across the mitochondrial inner membrane established by oxidative phosphorylation. The large ΔΨ_(m) of the mitochondrial inner membrane determines the electrochemical transport of ions, including calcium influx and efflux. In addition, the model considers the explicit dependence of the citric acid cycle dehydrogenases on mitochondrial calcium concentration. Calcium dynamics are an important part of this model, as the action of many toxins includes prolonged increase in cytoplasmic Ca²⁺ concentration [35].

In order to allow changes in simulated activity of the glycolysis model [33] to the mitochondrial metabolism model [34], every reaction was supplemented by a scaling factor S_(Gly) and S_(Mit), respectively. The glycolysis model was coupled to the mitochondrial metabolism model with additional reactions for pyruvate transport into the mitochondria and conversion to acetyl CoA by pyruvate dehydrogenase. The rate equation for pyruvate transport had the general form

$\begin{matrix} {v = {V_{\max} \times {r(X)} \times \left( {{\prod\limits_{i}\; x_{i}^{c_{ij}^{+}}} - {\frac{1}{q}{\prod\limits_{i}\; x_{i}^{c_{ij}^{-}}}}} \right)}} & \left( {{Eq}.\mspace{14mu} 4} \right) \end{matrix}$

where, c⁺ and c⁻ are the positive and negative elements of the stoichiometric matrix, q is the equilibrium constant and r(X) is the regulatory function for saturation, allostery, etc. [61]. Rate equation parameters published in units per hour were implemented in the whole cell model as units per minute. The rate equation for pyruvate dehydrogenase was implemented using irreversible mass action kinetics, as described by Nazaret et al. [63]. In addition, the malate-aspartate shuttle was included in the whole cell model in order to maintain NAD+ concentrations in the cytosol adequate to maintain flux through glycolysis. The rate equation for the malate-aspartate shuttle was implemented using irreversible mass action kinetics. A reaction for phosphate transport into the mitochondria has been included as well.

Boolean Modeling and Pseudo Dynamics for Signaling Pathways

Pathway models of more than a hundred species present significant challenges for most commonly applied modeling techniques. Foremost among the problems is that few interactions in a large pathway model have well characterized chemical kinetics, which eliminates many of the ordinary differential equation-based approaches. Experimental observations of cellular function indicate that the input-output behavior of many network types (ex. signaling) can be adequately approximated using the Heaviside, or step function [25]. Recent research has focused on applying rule-based Boolean models to the challenging problem of predicting biological network dynamics [26]. In a Boolean analysis, the nodes of the pathway representing species can have an active (1) or an inactive state (0). The network dynamics are determined by Boolean rules for each node, that determine the state of the node at the next time-step based on the state of the upstream nodes, and the nodal update strategy. Rule-based Boolean network models have been successfully used to aid in explaining experimentally observed robustness of cellular networks [25, 27, 28], and to determine the effects of an alteration in the network components and individual reaction rates [29]. The hybrid whole-cell model contains an important augmented Boolean pseudo-dynamics approach to identify and quantitatively rank the importance of a node using a Boolean description of a cellular interaction network. The approach, known as the Boolean Network Dynamics and Target Identification (BNDTI), combines network topology and dynamic state information to determine the relative importance of a particular node with respect to the overall response of the network [30]. While Boolean models offer a convenient tool to quantitatively model regulatory networks, current formulations have not been coupled with a HH to provide the capability to enable the simulation of AP response to perturbation of underlying cellular processes.

The ion channels and receptors that control membrane the potential and that mediate neuronal signaling exist on the plasma membrane. As most toxins target ion channels and receptors on the plasma membrane, the whole-cell model contains a hybrid Boolean and kinetic model of neuronal signaling on the plasma membrane. A Boolean function is used to describe the activation/inactivation of a plasma membrane ion channel or receptor as a response to a specific stimulus concentration. The kinetic function is used to describe the association/dissociation of the stimulus with the ion channel or receptor and the neuronal signaling mediated by the ion channel or receptor. These general stimuli were implemented as events in SimBiology®. The events can be modified to reflect specific experimental conditions. The interaction of the stimulus with a general plasma membrane receptor has been implemented as a rule in SimBiology®. The rule evaluates a Boolean function in a Matlab® file that is evaluated at each simulation step. For the stimulus of interest, additional details regarding its targets and its potency for its targets can be further specified in the Boolean function. In addition, the association/dissociation kinetics of the stimulus and its targets can be specified as a reaction in SimBiology®. The whole-cell model provides a conceptual hybrid Boolean and kinetic model of neuronal signaling on the plasma membrane that can be expanded to include other stimuli and their associated kinetics (FIG. 5).

The primary benefit from using a Boolean approach is the ability to incorporate all biological information at hand in one framework without a detailed knowledge of the underlying chemical kinetics. The interaction between nodes in the network is determined by a set of logical rules, based on connectivity. All interactions are characterized as logical operators (AND, OR, NOT), enabling automated translation of pathway files to logical rules. To obtain the logical rules, the SBML pathway model is used to obtain the reaction type between all pairs of species. The form of the logical rule is dictated by the reaction type, i.e., activation, inhibition or binding/association between species. Species activated by multiple other species form an OR rule, species inhibited by one or multiple other species form an AND NOT rule, and species binding/associating with other species form an AND rule. For example, the protein Ras of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling pathway may be activated by SOS, RasGRF, RasGRP, RapGEF, or PKC, but may be inhibited by Gap1m, p120GAP, or NF1. Therefore, the logical rule for Ras is:

(SOS OR RasGRF OR RasGRP OR RasGEF OR PKC) AND NOT (Gap1m OR p120GAP OR NF1)

Given the state of each of the species in this rule, it can be evaluated to determine the final state of the species Ras. The logical rule assigned to each species can be used in to simulate the system and generate Boolean state trajectories.

For rules that contain a series of combined operations, it is not computationally feasible to use the logical rule directly to evaluate the resultant state of the species, i.e., 0 or 1. In order to simplify and speed up the evaluation of complex rules we can convert the rule into a more efficient form known as an ordered binary decision diagram (OBDD). The algorithm proposed by Andersen and co-workers can be used to convert the logical rules into an OBDD, a compact, unique representation of a Boolean expression. In order to construct an OBDD, a decision tree representation of the logical rule is created by first setting the order of evaluation (in FIG. 6 the order of evaluation is A, B, and the C). Several redundant tests are evident in FIG. 6, where both the low branch (0) and high branch (1) branch lead to the same value. Many of the unnecessary tests can be removed and any reference to a redundant node can be replaced by a reference to an upstream node. Once all redundant tests are eliminated, the decision tree is converted into an OBDD. The resultant set of OBDDs are then stored for use during the simulation.

Having obtained the Boolean rules representing the inter-species interactions, the initial values of the network nodes can be assigned, the input/output nodes can be identified and their values fixed. In Boolean analysis, the nodes of the network represent the genes and can have an active (1) or an inactive state (0). Input nodes are specific nodes that have been identified as initiators of the stimulus/response, and output nodes are monitored to analyze the effect of the input node. The state of the input node is prescribed (fixed or time varying variable) throughout the simulation, and the initial values for all network nodes are randomly generated at the start of each simulation so that an ensemble of simulations can be performed to enable the characterization of the ensemble averaged network behavior [26-28, 45, 46]. This quantitatively ranks the importance of a node using a Boolean description of a cellular interaction network. The approach, known as the Boolean Network Dynamics and Target Identification (BNDTI), combines network topology and dynamic state information to determine the relative importance of a particular node with respect to the overall response of the network [30]. Once the system is initialized, it is ready for simulation using the pseudo-dynamic Boolean state update strategy.

In order to obtain the state trajectories, the individual nodes of the regulatory network are updated in a pseudodynamic manner at each time-step [26-28, 45, 46]. The update method is an asynchronous method [29, 47, 48]. This method assumes that the distribution of time-scales within the cellular system is Gaussian. Nodes are updated once during each time interval, with the update order being randomly selected at the beginning of each time step. Asynchronous updating is known to closely mimic the dynamic picture of cellular events, and has been shown to effectively capture rare events [26, 29]. The flexibility in an asynchronous update allows for one node to update once, whereas other nodes could be updated at a faster rate. The selection of the number of time-steps is governed by the ability to capture the system steady-state profile [26]. The output from BPD is an array of 0's and 1's describing the state trajectories in the system. In order to account for all possible statistical distributions of the randomized initial state, an ensemble of simulations is performed. The proposing team has observed that 10,000 simulations have generally proved to be sufficient.

In order to study the time-evolving features of the cellular response to stimuli, the static analysis based on network topology can be supplemented by a time-course dynamic simulation. In this regard the Boolean pseudodynamics algorithm is an excellent approach to study the dynamics of regulatory systems when kinetic information is unavailable. A commonly employed approach that is closest to a realistic network description is one that employs a continuous simulation strategy. In this regard, Glass and Kaufmann introduced a seminal technique hitherto referred as Glass dynamics [31, 32].

Glass dynamics provide a link between discrete Boolean and continuous ordinary differential equation models, with the advantage of not requiring a kinetic description of the underlying processes. The network node dynamics in the Glass dynamics simulation are described by an ordinary differential equation:

$\begin{matrix} {\frac{\hat{A_{i}}}{t} = {{- {\hat{A}}_{i}} + {F_{i}\left( {A_{1},A_{2},\ldots \mspace{14mu},A_{N}} \right)}}} & \left( {{Eq}.\mspace{14mu} 5} \right) \end{matrix}$

Each equation is composed of two terms. The first term is an exponential decay term in the continuous variable, and the second term represents the Boolean transfer function F that captures the interaction with other nodes. This Boolean function is composed of discrete variables. Borrowing notation from Chaves and co-workers, we let Â_(i) represent the continuous component of the variable associated with node I [49]. At each time instant the discrete variable A_(i) is defined as a function of continuous variable according to a threshold value given as A_(i)(t)=0 for Â_(i)(t)<=θ and A_(i)(t)=1 for Â_(i)(t >θ. In these equations θ is bounded in the region (0, 1). The discrete variable represents whether the particular node is active or inactive, i.e., on or off, within the network. The limiting solution of the nodes is given by [0, 1] and this represents the situation signifying the absence, and maximum concentration of the nodal species, respectively. The parameter θ provides a link between the continuous and Boolean parts of the nodal dynamic equation. When Â_(i)(t)>θ, the Boolean variable is switched to the activated or on state, whereas it persists in the inactivated state otherwise. Thus the parameter θ determines the fractional level of maximum concentration required for the nodal species to function, and characterizes the continuous response of the system. It is also interesting to note that the steady-state solutions for both this hybrid method and the discrete asynchronous update BPD algorithm are the same.

The Glass dynamics model incorporates several additional components. Since the Glass dynamics equation is modeling an individual chemical species (X_(i)), that species (in general) participates in chemical reactions, represented in Eq. 6 by the kinetic rate. The species X_(i) may also be affected by the action of individual cellular processes that is turned on/off depending on the state of the cell. Also, the time constant for the response of X_(i) to the individual cellular process can vary significantly. The aforementioned dependences are included in the second term in Eq. 6. Finally, the background state decay rate that ensures the Glass dynamics system will attain the proper steady state is included as the final term in Eq. 6. The background decay rate is essential to achieving proper steady state, and has a tunable time constant.

$\begin{matrix} {\underset{{Specie}{Rate}}{\underset{}{\frac{X_{i}}{t}}} = {\underset{{Kinetic}{Rate}}{\underset{}{r_{X_{i}}}} + \underset{{Boolean}{Rate}}{\underset{}{\sum\limits_{k = 1}^{N_{Processes}}\; {\alpha_{k}{f\left( \overset{\sim}{X} \right)}}}} - \underset{{{State}\mspace{14mu} {Decay}}{Rate}}{\underset{}{\frac{X_{i}}{\tau_{i}}}}}} & \left( {{Eq}.\mspace{14mu} 6} \right) \end{matrix}$

All chemical species that interact with Boolean cellular processes use Eq. 6 to describe their kinetics. The remaining chemical species will use Equation 2 with the Boolean rate and state decay rates set to zero. Appropriate cellular process response coefficients, α_(k), and timescales for state decay rates, τ_(i), can be extracted from the literature, or available experimental data. FIG. 5 illustrates some of the chemical species that will interact with the Boolean description of the cellular processes, or functional categories.

Database With Simulated Action Potentials and Corresponding Model Parameters

A commercially available Structured Query Language (SQL) database is used to store simulation results from the hybrid whole-cell model with their corresponding model parameters. The stored data is comprised of simulated APs (0.5 s, resampled at 20 kHz) including eight characteristic values, the corresponding Boolean-model parameters of simulated cell-signalling cascades, scaling factors of metabolic processes, resulting ion and ATP concentrations as well as all parameters describing ion channel parameters for the HH model.

A method of using the whole cell model according to an embodiment of the invention will now be described. The method comprises preparing the whole-cell model, generating an AP database and using it to find a a point of action of a substance. Portions of the method include:

-   -   (1) Calibration of the hybrid whole-cell model for a certain         cell type         -   (a) Fit HH-model parameters to match simulation results with             recorded APs and membrane currents. (         -   b) Calibrate metabolic reaction-kinetics with experimental             or published data.         -   (c) Cell-signaling cascades in the Boolean model can be             adjusted to include/exclude specific signaling pathways of             interest.     -   (2) The creation of a cell- and model-specific database         -   (a) Specify s parameter space and intervals for selected             parameters and variables in the entire whole-cell model.         -   (b) Run simulations and store results as well as all             parameters in a database.             -   (i) Simulate APs with the whole-cell model for all                 combinations of specified parameters.                 -   1) Run hybrid of Boolean and metabolic model to                     determine ion and ATP concentration.                 -   2) Run HH-model with ion and ATP concentrations from                     previous step to generate APs.             -   (ii) Save AP shape, characteristic values and all                 corresponding parameters in a database.     -   (3) Identify a substance's point(s) of action.         -   (a) Measure multiple APs before, during and after drug/toxin             application.         -   (b) Search the database for closest matching (regarding the             AP shape) entries and retrieve model parameters.         -   (c) Interpret the retrieved information to reconstruct             signaling and metabolic events inside and outside the cell             under investigation.         -   (d) Determine the drugs/toxins possible point(s) of action.

In certain embodiments of the invention, the method of using the whole cell model can be implemented using the internet. In those embodiments, the database can be provided by a server application and can be updated centrally. Further, a user such as a customer or licensor can use the database to identify a substance's point of action.

EXAMPLE

This example calibrates the submodels for NG108/15 cells and generates an AP database for variations in cytosolic glycogenolysis and mitochondrial metabolism as well as parametric changes in the HH-model that reflect various cell sizes and experimental parameters.

Calibrating the HH-Model for Action Potentials From NG108-15 Cells

NG108-15 cells were cultured, experiments performed and model parameters filled according to published protocols [21, 60]. Exemplary data is provided in FIG. 7 as well as FIG. 8. Changes in intracellular ion or ATP concentrations lead to different AP shapes, as depicted in FIG. 8.

Calibrating the Metabolic Model

NG108-15 cells were cultured according to [21]. In addition to the published standard plating on coverslips, 1,000,000 cells were plated in either 6 or 12 75 cm T-flasks for differentiation. After 4 days in differentiation, the culturing media was replaced by 1 ml of the published [21] extracellular solution used during patch-clamp experiments. The extracellular solution includes 10 mM 2-Desoxy-Glucose (2DG). 2DG is favored over glucose by the glucose transporters, located in the cell membrane. In contrast to glucose, 2DG cannot be used by the cell to generate energy and thus affects the cellular metabolism.

For cells on coverslips, 20 μl samples of extracellular solution were taken right after the application of 2DG and every 20 minutes for 4 hours and stored in a freezer at −20° C. After 4 hours the frozen samples were thawed in order to determine the concentrations of glucose/2DG and lactate using commercially available standard calorimetric kits.

After 4 days in differentiation, the media of cells in T-flasks was replaced by the published extracellular solution, including 10 mM 2DG. The first Cells in the first T-flask were lysed immediately to determine the intracellular ATP concentration using commercially available ATP kits. Every 30 min, cells in another T-flask were lysed for ATP experiments. The ATP-containing analytes were stored at −20° C. until all samples were collected. The ATP concentrations were determined using calorimetric ATP kits.

The results for concentration changes of glucose/2DG (exemplary dataset is shown in FIG. 10), lactate and ATP over time were used to calibrate of the Boolean-metabolic model hybrid. The activity-parameters of the cellular glycogenolysis S_(Gly) and the mitochondrial metabolism S_(Mit) were fitted until the simulated glucose consumption, simulated extracellular lactate concentrations and the simulated intracellular ATP concentration matched the experimental results. The full metabolic model has been examined under increased nutrient, cytosolic Ca2+ (FIG. 11), and ATP load (FIG. 12). Increased ATP consumption has been widely recognized to induce stimulation of respiration. It lowers ATP/ADP ratio in the cell (FIG. 11A), which could (a) stimulate ATP synthase (FIG. 11B), such that mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨ_(m)) decreases and respiration increases, (b) stimulate citric acid cycle dehydrogenases or (c) stimulate glycolysis (FIG. 12A), and thus increase substrate for respiration [36]. As ATP consumption increases, the metabolic model favors flux through lactate dehydrogenase over flux through pyruvate dehydrogenase (FIGS. 12A & B).

Selecting Boolean/Glass Dynamics for Signaling Cascades

The activation/inhibition of the general plasma membrane receptor, i.e., serotonergic receptors (5-HT₂), adrenergic receptors (α₁), calcitonin receptor, histamine receptor (H₁) or muscarinic receptors (M₁, M₃, M₅), was coupled with the activation of phospholipase C (PLC), which converts phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP₂) to inositol 1,4,5-triphosphate (IP₃) and diacylglycerol (DAG) (FIG. 13). The rate equation for the hydrolysis of PIP₂ to IP₃ and DAG by PLC was implemented using Michaelis-Menten kinetics and multiplied by its Boolean value. Therefore, when the Boolean value is zero, the reaction rate is zero, and when the Boolean value is one, the reaction rate is,

$\begin{matrix} {v = {V_{\max}*\left( \frac{\left\lbrack {PIP}_{2} \right\rbrack}{K_{m} + \left\lbrack {PIP}_{2} \right\rbrack} \right)}} & \left( {{Eq}.\mspace{14mu} 7} \right) \end{matrix}$

This example also includes the implementation of a simple rate equation for IP₃ and DAG consumption, which used mass action kinetics. IP₃, then, activates IP₃R calcium channels on the endoplasmic reticulum membrane, through which endoplasmic reticulum calcium is released into the cytosol (FIG. 3). A primary ion involved in both the control of membrane potential and the mediation of neuronal signaling is calcium. While the flux of calcium to and from the mitochondria has been addressed by the implementation of the mitochondrial metabolism model [34], we have addressed the endoplasmic reticulum calcium flux by implementing reactions from Marhl et al. [58]. We modified the reaction rate of the IP₃R calcium channel from Chen et al. [59] to include a dependence on IP₃, which was absent from the channel reaction rate from Marhl et al. Calcium dynamics are important in the development of the neuronal whole cell model, as the action of many toxins includes prolonged increases in cytosolic calcium.

Classification of Action Potentials

The shape of recorded and simulated APs is characterized by eight characteristic values: the initial membrane voltage, the maximum amplitude, the AP width at half-max, the voltage at four distinct time points in steps of 25 ms after the stimulation as well as the tail potential. A classification of recorded action potentials is performed by a closest-match search in the database, given the eight characteristic AP values.

Generating the Action-Potential Database

The calibrated and adjusted submodels were used in concert to create action potentials based on simulated intracellular ion and ATP concentrations (FIG. 14). A 9-dimensional parameter space was selected with ranges as listed in Table 1. The simulated APs were evaluated for their 8 characteristic values and added to the database including all parameters used to create the output.

TABLE 1 Exemplary parameter space for database generation. Simulation outputs were generated for every possible combination. variable minimum maximum step size S_(Mit) 0.80 1.20 0.05 S_(Gly) 0.20 1.60 0.20 S_(E) 0   1   1   C_(M) 10 pF  50 pF   5 pF g_(I) 0.01 mS  0.10 mS  0.01 mS  g_(Na) 75 mS 175 mS  25 mS g_(K) 10 mS 50 mS 10 mS g_(KATP) 10 mS 50 mS  5 mS g_(Ca)  5 mS 50 mS  5 mS

Using the Database to Determine Cellular and Metabolic Prameters

The culturing media of differentiated NG108-15 cells (after 4 DIV) was replaced by extracellular solution. APs were recorded before a toxin (cyanide) was applied. 164 consecutively recorded APs were evaluated by searching the database for three closest matches for each of the APs. FIG. 15 illustrates the extraction of parameters from the database. The changes for HH-parameters are depicted in FIG. 16. The parameters associated with the found matches describe a decrease in calcium currents, followed by a slow decrease in sodium currents, which lead to a steep increase in general leak and ATP-gated potassium currents. These results indicate cell death due to poisoning by a toxin. Other exemplary drugs and their points of action are depicted in FIG. 17.

With this disclosure in mind, wherein metabolic activity has been investigated by means of glucose uptake, lactate output and ATP production, we further envision that the presently disclosed invention will be applicable to cell modeling where the stimuli include but are not limited to NAD/NADH, pyruvate, phosphate and calcium metabolism, as well as to gene transcription and various signaling pathways.

The present invention has been described hereinabove with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which preferred embodiments of the invention are shown. Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein are intended to have the same meaning as commonly understood in the art to which this invention pertains and at the time of its filing. Although various methods and materials similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used in the practice or testing of the present invention, suitable methods and materials are described. However, the skilled should understand that the methods and materials used and described are examples and may not be the only ones suitable for use in the invention.

Moreover, it should also be understood that any temperature, weight, volume, time interval, pH, salinity, molarity or molality, range, concentration and any other measurements, quantities or numerical figures expressed herein are intended to be approximate and not an exact or critical figure unless expressly stated to the contrary.

Further, any publications, patent applications, patents, and other references mentioned herein are incorporated by reference in their entirety as if they were part of this specification. However, in case of conflict, the present specification, including any definitions, will control. In addition, as noted above, materials, methods and examples given are illustrative in nature only and not intended to be limiting.

Accordingly, this invention may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the illustrated embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these illustrated embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough, complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. Therefore, in the specification set forth above there have been disclosed typical preferred embodiments of the invention, and although specific terms are employed, the terms are used in a descriptive sense only and not for purposes of limitation. The invention has been described in some detail, but it will be apparent that various modifications and changes can be made within the spirit and scope of the invention as described in the foregoing specification and as defined in the appended claims.

Any element in a claim that does not explicitly state “means for” performing a specified function, or “step for” performing a specified function, is not to be interpreted as a “means” or “step” clause as specified in 35 U.S.C. §112, ¶ 6. In particular, the use of “step of” claims herein is not intended to invoke the provisions of 35 U.S.C. §112, ¶ 6.

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That which is claimed is:
 1. A model for generating predicted action potentials of an electrically active cell, said model comprising: a first submodel containing Hodgkin-Huxley elements generating action potentials based on electrical equivalent circuits; a second submodel based on reaction kinetics of cell metabolism and operatively coupled with said first submodel; and a third submodel based on Boolean dynamics representing signaling and associated cellular processes and operatively coupled with said first and second submodels.
 2. The model of claim 1, wherein the model is capable of reacting to stimuli which are internal or external to the cell.
 3. The model of claim 1, wherein the first, second and third submodels are computer implemented.
 4. The model of claim 1, wherein the first submodel quantifies changes in intracellular processes based on physiological changes in the cell responsive to input received from the second and third submodels.
 5. The model of claim 1, wherein the second submodel comprises a plurality of modeled physiological compartments, each having an associated compartment volume.
 6. The model of claim 5, wherein the modeled physiological compartments comprise whole cell volume, mitochondrial volume, endoplasmic reticulum volume, nuclear volume and extracellular volume.
 7. The model of claim 6, wherein mitochondrial volume, endoplasmic reticulum volume, nuclear volume are nested in the whole cell volume.
 8. The model of claim 1, wherein the third submodel further comprises network topology and dynamic state for each pathway node to thereby assign relative importance to a pathway node with respect to overall response of a biological network.
 9. The model of claim 1, wherein the third submodel further comprises Glass dynamics providing a continuous time course simulation.
 10. The model of claim 1, used to generate a library of simulation results comprising model parameters of the electrically active cell.
 11. The library of simulation results according to claim 10, wherein the model parameters are stored in a structured query language database programmed in a computer.
 12. The library of simulation results according to claim 10, wherein the results comprise a plurality of parameters selected from simulated action potentials, Boolean model data of simulated cell signaling cascades, scaling factors of cell metabolic processes, ion and ATP concentrations, data for ion channels included in the Hodgkin-Huxley calculations, and combinations thereof.
 13. The model of claim 1, used to predict an electrically active cell's response to an applied stimulus.
 14. The model of claim 1, wherein the electrically active cell comprises a mammalian neuronal cell.
 15. A method of identifying a point of action of a stimulus applied to an electrically active cell, the method comprising: storing a library of calculated action potentials and associated cellular parameters generated by a model comprising a first submodel based on Hodgkin-Huxley calculations, a second submodel operably linked thereto and based on reaction kinetics of neuronal cell metabolism and a third submodel operably linked to the first and second submodels and based on Boolean dynamics representing signaling and associated cellular processes; applying the stimulus to the electrically active cell in vitro so that the cell generates an action potential; and comparing the cell-generated action potential with the calculated action potentials stored in the library, wherein a match is predictive of the cellular point of action of the applied stimulus according to the parameters stored for the matching calculated action potential.
 16. The method of claim 15, wherein the stimulus is selected from a compound, composition, electricity and electromagnetic radiation and combinations thereof.
 17. The method of claim 15, wherein the stimulus comprises a toxin.
 18. The method of claim 15, wherein the electrically active cell comprises a mammalian neuronal cell. 